The O'Neill Divide
by JosephineLL
Summary: Jack meets another side of himself --- Complete
1. Chapter One

Title:  The O'Neill Divide Author:  Josephine 

Email:  Lovellama@aol.com

Rating:  PG-13

Summary:  Jack meets another side of himself.

Codes: SG-1, Hammond, Fraiser, Original Character, others

Genre:  Action

A/N:  Much much thanks to Cincoflex for all her help and encouragement and inspiration, and to Mara for taming the wild ellipses that (used to) run rampant in this fic.

~~~~~

Chapter One

"Welcome back, people," General Hammond rumbled as SG-1 trudged down the ramp, their boots clanging on the grating.  The security forces arrayed in front of the Gate relaxed slightly.

"Thank you, sir, good to be back," Sam replied wearily, taking off her cap and running a hand through her tousled hair  --they were all hot and sweaty after four days on P3K5186.  "The tests we ran are only preliminary, of course, but I think --"

"Uh, sir?"  Davis's disembodied voice came over the speaker.  "We're getting some strange readings from the Stargate, sir."

"Close the iris," Hammond ordered, when suddenly electrical arcs danced over the Gate.  The iris spun, stopping and starting as the energy bolts crackled menacingly.

It was halfway shut when --without warning --a figure dove through the event horizon, tumbling heavily down the ramp.  Flipping over to her back, she drew two pistols from under a tac vest and fired back through the gate.  The intruder slowly stood up, still firing at some unseen enemy as concrete debris came falling through the Gate, not stopping until the iris shut completely and the pistols were out of bullets, the hammers clicking on empty magazines.

Pausing a moment, the intruder spun, dropping to one knee and reaching inside the vest for another gun.  The troops moved forward at this new threat and the figure froze, her brown eyes darting around the room.

"Hold your fire!"  Pushing his way through the wall of bodies, Hammond hurried up to the woman, who got to her feet in careful, easy motions.  She was tall for her sex, and lean, with long, shaggy graying hair that emphasized high cheekbones. 

"Sir?"  Confusion and concern laced her clear voice as she continued to take in the Gate room.  "Where are we?"

Hammond lifted his chin slightly, a stubborn expression crossing his face.  "I have questions of my own before we get to yours.  Who are you?"

"Yeah," echoed Jack, materializing next to Hammond.  The rest of his team fanned out behind him.  "Who are you?"

The woman glanced over at Jack, hissing in her breath when, over his shoulder, she saw Teal'c, and her firm mouth drew into a line.  Pulling another gun, she rapidly closed the distance between her and the Jaffa.  "I left you dying on Tsugas!"  Her voice shook with rage but her gun was steady.  "How did you get here?"

"Hey!  HEY!!"  Jack stepped between her and Teal'c, demanding her attention as the already tense soldiers moved in closer, waiting for Hammond's orders.  "Easy!!"

A mild look of puzzlement crossed Teal'c's face.  "I have never been to this 'Tsugas'."

"Then everyone you and your damned Serpent Guards wiped out there were just in my head?  Siler and Kawalsky are alive and well, not buried six feet under Tsugasan soil?"

Sam edged her way in.  "If Teal'c says he's never been there, then he hasn't.  Why do you think it was him?"

The woman shot a suspicious glance at Sam, then slowly backed up the ramp.  A hard look came into her eyes.  "I don't know what you people are trying to pull, but I want answers NOW."  She kept her pistol trained on Teal'c through Jack.  "If I don't get them, I'm finishing what I started."

Daniel frowned.  "You wouldn't get two shots off before they would cut you down.  Are you really willing to risk that?"

The woman gave a short laugh.  "Ohyasureyoubetcha."  

Jack blinked in surprise at the familiar phrase.  He studied the woman intently as a chill went up his spine.

Daniel threaded his way to the front of the group.  "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"Where the hell am I?"

"You're on Earth."  

"No.  I just left Earth, using the Gate to get to P3K5186."  The whole time she continued to watch Teal'c.

Baffled comprehension dawned on Sam's face; she whispered something to Hammond, who looked perplexed.  "Are you sure?" he asked her.

"It's possible," she answered urgently.

"Carter?"  Sam's head jerked up at the command tone as the woman addressed her.

"Alright," Daniel jumped in, sensing the tension going up another notch.  "You, ah, just left Earth from a Stargate.  Maybe it was another Gate, the Russian one?"  He looked hopeful.  

"Do I **look **Russian, Daniel?" she responded at the same time Jack said, "Does she **look **Russian, Daniel?"  No one laughed.

"Well,"  Throwing an apologetic look at Jack, Daniel turned back to the woman.  "You seem to know me, Sam, General Hammond, and of course Teal'c.  Anyone else you recognize?"

"Everyone.  By name or sight.  Except him."  

"Him?"  Daniel glanced back and forth between the woman and Teal'c.  She still stared straight at the Jaffa.  "You mean Jack?"  He pointed toward the Colonel. 

"Yeah.  **Jack**.  Never seen him before."  

Jack looked affronted.  "I think I'm insulted.  Should I be insulted?"

Sam and the general whispered rapidly together.  "Carter!" the woman called out again, a familiar sarcastic edge to her voice.  "It seems that once again you've figured out or have a damned good idea what's going on.  Care to share it with the rest of the class?"

Glancing over at Hammond and getting a small nod, Sam spoke up.  "We think you're from an alternate universe."

Jack interrupted her before she could continue.  "In case you haven't noticed, Carter, that's a Gate, not a quantum mirror."

"I know, sir, but we had a kind of … power surge right after we came back from P3K5186.  And she was trying to get to P3K5186; maybe somehow the gates crossed at the quantum level."  Sam shrugged, turning to the woman.  "Did anything unusual happen at your end?"

"Oh yeah," she replied grimly, her eyes still on Teal'c, her arm still holding up the gun.  "I detonated the autodestruct right before I gated."

"That's a two ton thermonuclear bomb," Hammond snapped.  "You must have been in a desperate situation."

The woman smiled grimly.  "Ours is –was --a five ton.  And it certainly was desperate."

Teal'c finally moved, handing Daniel his staff weapon and coming to stand in front of the pistol.  "If you are truly from an alternate universe then you have ample cause as to hate me.  But know that I have renounced the Goa'uld as false gods, and have worked with SG-1 these past six years, fighting to free my people from the yoke of their oppression."

The woman gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment, then slowly lowered her gun.  "I believe you."  She turned the pistol upside down and held it out to the nearest soldier.

"You are assigned to the Stargate program in your universe?" Teal'c asked her with a formal courtesy, noticing a familiar looking patch on her uniform. 

"What's left of it," she said wryly.

"Ah," Daniel got her attention."  "You know us, obviously, could you tell us who you are?"

She finally looked away from Teal'c.  "O'Neill.  Colonel Joanna O'Neill, commander, ST-1."


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
"I think that's about it." Clicking her pen closed and putting it into her pocket, Dr. Fraiser perused the chart in front of her, then glanced over at Joanna. The alternate universe Colonel sat on an infirmary bed, clad only in an olive t-shirt and shorts, and uncharacteristic, for an Air Force Colonel that is, light blue socks with daisies on them. She shivered slightly.  
  
"Do all you docs keep your infirmaries so damned cold?" To a casual eye Joanna seemed at ease, but Janet noticed that she kept playing with a silver ring on her finger.  
  
Janet smiled politely, continuing. "You seem to be in excellent health; a few old breaks, concussion or two, both knees have some ACL damage --you did know that there's also extensive scar tissue in..."  
  
"Yeah." A crooked half-grin crossed Joanna's face as she ran a hand over her flat abdomen. "A combination of the contraceptive the Air Force put us on and old war wounds, you might say."  
  
Janet looked at her with sympathy. "Did the contraceptive cause the early pre-menopause also?"  
  
"Yep." A genuine smile came out. "That was a fun time. Apart from the hot flashes. The screwy hormones made me perpetually pissed off. Hammond liked that; we killed a lot of Jaffa that year. Finally took out Ra, too." Joanna stared at the floor, absent-mindedly rubbing her belly.   
  
"Well," Janet said briskly, "all we need now are the DNA test results and then we're done."  
  
"You're just like her." The smile softened. "My Janet," explained Joanna. "Very compassionate and dedicated. I personally slit the throat of the Jaffa that murdered her and SG-8."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Well, Dr. Fraiser?" Hammond inquired as she and Joanna walked into the situation room. The general was seated at the head of the long red and black table, the members of SG-1 flanking him. They had an uncanny resemblance to an inquisition, and only with difficulty Joanna overcame the craving to have the reassuring heft of a gun in her hand.  
  
Jack crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. "Don't tell me she's my long lost sister or something," he drawled sarcastically, a curious mix of studied laissez-faire and extreme unease.  
  
"All right, I won't." Janet sat down opposite from Hammond, while Joanna took a seat by her side. "What I will tell you," she continued, opening the folder in front of her, "is that barring your Y chromosome, both DNA samples match perfectly."  
  
"I knew it!" Sam crowed, an exultant grin splitting her face. Jack's glare only dimmed it slightly. His chair creaked as he leaned forward.  
  
"So what you're saying is ..." Jack silently dared Janet to complete the sentence.  
  
"You and this Colonel O'Neill are the same person. Just a different sex." Everyone's eyes swung toward Joanna as Janet shuffled some papers, letting them get used to the idea. Joanna looked calmly back at Jack, lifting a shoulder in a slight shrug.  
  
"You're sure," demanded Hammond.  
  
"Positive," Janet answered crisply. "The corpsman ran the test twice to be certain, then I had him run it again while I watched. The Colonels are one and the same."  
  
"But- " Jack gaped like a fish, trying to wrap his mind around what Janet had sprung on them. "But she's a woman! Everyone else has been the same! Why me?" Joanna sighed and rolled her eyes. Glaring at her, Jack muttered, "You're taking this rather well." She just stuck her tongue out at him, and he responded in kind.  
  
"I doubt we'll ever know why, Colonel," Janet gently chided. "Perhaps something happened at conception, and in her universe Joanna was created instead of you."  
  
Daniel's expression took on a thoughtful air. "Joanna --" he murmured, then looked over at her. "Joanna Michelle?" She nodded. "The feminine form of Jonathan Michael," he said to the rest of them, as if that explained everything.  
  
Jack smiled humorlessly. "Thank you, Professor."  
  
"Was there anything else, Doctor?" Hammond interjected before the boys could start sniping at each other.  
  
"Nothing that can't wait for my report, sir." Gathering up her various folders, Janet threw Joanna a reassuring glance before she left.  
  
"This is so incredible." Sam leaned forward. "The other two universes we've encountered have been different than ours, of course; Daniel was never part of the SG program, I became a civilian consultant instead of joining the Air Force, but nothing of this magnitude." Her look of excitement was in direct contrast to Jack's petulant expression.   
  
"Yes, we're all very thrilled about it, Carter." The irony was thick in Jack's voice. "But in case you haven't noticed, *I'm. A. Woman.*"  
  
"For cryin' out loud, get over yourself, Jack." Joanna's sarcastic tone matched his. "I happen to be a man."  
  
"Yeah, but you're *supposed* to be a man, *Joanna*."   
  
"Frankly," her alto voice turning silky and her brown eyes flinty, "from what I've seen, I consider this an improvement, *Jack*."   
  
"Colonels," Hammond warned, interrupting their wrangling and turning to Joanna. "Colonel O'Neill, why don't you bring us up to speed on what's been happening in your universe. What made you set off the autodestruct?"  
  
Joanna frowned as she collected her thoughts. "I suppose you'd need a little background on our Gate history; it was found in 1931 in Giza, Egypt. World War I had been long and drawn out, and although the government agent in the area had sent in a report, nobody was really interested in ancient Egyptian artifacts. They were more concerned with how Germany was arming itself again. So the scientists who discovered the Gate were able to smuggle it into the U.S. and begin trying to figure out how to work the damn thing. World War II halted the expeditions in Egypt, but they started up again in '38 when that War ended."  
  
"Wait," Daniel broke in. "So your Gate was discovered three years after ours, we get that; but your World War II ended in '38? No Pearl Harbor, no Hiroshima?"  
  
"You can ask the Colonel all the questions you want after we're done here, Dr. Jackson." Daniel flushed slightly under Hammond's rebuke, nodding.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Joanna smiled in understanding. "They found the DOD -"  
  
Sam raised her hand, smiling apologetically. "The what?"  
  
"The DOD. Dial Out Device," Joanna explained at their blank expressions. "The round thing with the Gate symbols on it, big red crystal dome in the middle ... "  
  
"Dial Home Device," Sam answered. "The Germans found ours in Giza after our World War II. Since we didn't have a control panel, we had to jury-rig a power source to dial the Gate. Therefore the first one we saw was on another planet, which we then used to get back. Ergo, Dial Home Device."  
  
"Oh." Joanna blinked twice, nonplussed for the moment. "Okay. Well, somehow the scientists kept the Gate a secret, although they were scouring their field for any promising Egyptologists that could help them figure out the markings on the cover stone. They found you, Daniel, and about twelve years ago brought you in to see what you could do."  
  
"Twelve? Here Christine brought me in nine years ago."  
  
"Yeah, Catherine and her group worked a little faster than the military does, although if they had been more careful things might have ended up a lot different. Anyway, you figured out it was a Stargate and got the damned thing up and running. You made it to Abydos, did a meet and greet, and then proceeded to seek out new life and new civilizations, boldly going, etc, amazingly enough keeping the government from finding out about what you were doing.  
  
"Then a few months after you got to Abydos, Ra stopped by. And you could imagine his surprise when he found out the Gate on Earth was now up and running. The scientists were no match for his Falcon Guards, and soon legions of Jaffa were pouring in through the Gate. Panicked, you guys called the Pentagon, Stargate Command and the Stargate Teams were formed, and we've been fighting them ever since."  
  
Joanna sighed, her unfocused eyes seeing past battles. "We'd gain some ground, then lose it, gain some more, than lose that; but it wasn't until three years ago that everything went to hell. Although we finally got rid of Ra, Apophis stepped in and filled the breach."  
  
She looked over at Teal'c. "I don't know how you were before you renounced him, but in my universe you were... driven. The devotion you had toward your God made you go above and beyond. Apophis would want a village destroyed; you'd take it and the surrounding ones out, as an example." Teal'c frowned, remembering times when he had done just that.  
  
Jack's voice was harsh in the silent room. "What about the Asgard? The Tok'ra? Didn't anyone help you guys out?"  
  
"Thor and the Asgards were losing their war with the Replicators; we tried to help them out as much as we could but it was never enough. All that was left of the Tok'ra were a handful of beaten down resistance cells scattered through the galaxy." Joanna shook her head. "Neither were in any condition to help us, and everyone else was in even worse shape.  
  
"We finally figured out a way to close the gate when we weren't using it so no unauthorized people could get through, but by then it was too late. Goa'uld mother ships had long since arrived, and since most of the second and third world countries had been taken over by Ra and then Apophis, they already had a firm foothold on Earth. We started evacuating people to the few planets still under our control, and planned on destroying their Gates once we were done. The last had finally gone when Serpent Guards overran the mountain. I set the autodestruct, gated, and found myself here."   
  
"Amazing." Sam stared in wonder at Joanna, digesting what she had told them. "Your universe must be further down the quantum dial than any of the others we've seen, so many things are different. The basic history, the balance of power between the System Lords... "  
  
"You and Dr. Jackson can debrief Colonel O'Neill all you want tomorrow. I still need your reports on P3K5186. Colonel O'Neill," continued Hammond, turning to Joanna, "the sergeant will show you to your room."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Getting up, Joanna's eyes swept the team, noting their expressions ranging from open welcome to barely hidden antagonism. "Good night." 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Quite a story."  The rest of the team looked over at Jack, who had leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest again.

Teal'c spoke up first, slightly puzzled.  "Does this mean you do not believe that the other O'Neill is yourself from a different universe?"

"Sir, the DNA seems to be– "  Sam broke off as Jack waved his hand for her to stop.

"Yeah, yeah, the DNA's the same– "

"You just don't like being a woman," Daniel finished, cutting to the chase.

"Not really," Jack shot back, then smiled weakly at Sam. "No offence."

"None taken, sir," she answered tightly. 

"Colonel, I suggest you put aside whatever hostile feelings you have for your counterpart, because until we find away to send her back, you'll be dealing with her quite often," Hammond reproached Jack.

"Actually, General," Sam started as Jack nodded in understanding, "I don't know if we can get her back."

"Why not?"  Jack practically barked.

"Well, sir, I don't know if we can duplicate the conditions that got her here.  Four gates would need to be used, two in our universe and two in Colonel O'Neill's.  The two outgoing gates in each universe would have to be dialed at the same time, with an equivalent of a five-ton thermonuclear explosion at the quantum level on our side.  The problems are that off the top of my head I don't have any idea on how to contact her universe to coordinate dialing at the same time, we would have to find another gate in both universes that we could use, as the one on the alternate universe's Earth has likely been destroyed, then figuring out how the bomb affected --"

"Okay, okay!!"  Jack cut into Sam's litany of obstacles for getting his doppelganger back.  "What are we going to do with her if she can't go back?  Pat her on the head and send her on her way?"

Teal'c finally spoke.  "If the alternate universe O'Neill is anything like you, then it is doubtful she will take very well to retirement after battling the System Lords, knowing they are still a threat in our universe."

"Oh, I don't know," Daniel interjected.  "Maybe Joanna would like a break from all the warfare.  Jack's always threatening retirement."

"Operative word being 'threaten'."  Jack rubbed his face with one hand, resignation evident in his voice.  "If she **is** anything like me, and it sure as hell looks like it, then she's not going to go gentle into that good night.  She'll want to stay and fight." 

"What about the temporal entropic cascade failure?"  Daniel turned to Sam.  "Won't that make this all a moot point?"

"I'm not sure," Sam answered slowly.  "Technically they aren't the same person."

"Now wait a minute!"  Jack stared at Sam in confusion.  "Dammit, you and Janet just got done telling us we were the same."

Sam frowned slightly.  "I know, sir, and you are, at least…"  she did a quick calculation in her head.  "…97.83%, I would say.  If that makes sense."

"Explain, Major," demanded Hammond.

"Well, sir, it's Colonel O'Neill's Y chromosome; that one out of the twenty two others is the one thing that's different from the other Colonel O'Neill.  That distinction might be enough so the failure won't happen."

"When will we know?"

"My duplicate began to experience it at about the twenty four hour mark.  So I would say, by this time tomorrow."

"Alright."  Hammond stood up, turning at Jack.  "I want a projection of what adding the alternate universe Colonel to the Stargate Program would mean at 1200 hours, as well as the preliminary reports from P3K5186 on my desk by 0900 hours tomorrow."  The team looked at each other as the general left the conference room.  

"Well isn't this just peachy keen," Jack said to no one in particular as they dispersed, each going to their respective offices.

~~~~~

Running on the treadmill, Joanna stared ahead at the gym's gray concrete walls, trying not to think about the universe she had left behind.  Her t-shirt was nearly soaked with sweat and her knees ached, but still she ran. 

"Hi."

Glancing over, Joanna saw Sam standing nearby with a hesitant smile on her face.  "Hey."

"Thought I'd stop by to see how you were, ma'am, but you weren't in your room; then I figured– "

"- where would Jack be?" Joanna finished for her, an answering smile taking out any sting the words held.  "Thanks.  It's nice to see a friendly face."

"Been here long?"  Sam wandered over to a near-by bench press and sat down.

"Not too long.  Me and Pete got here about forty-five minutes ago.  Couldn't sit in my room anymore.  Was going stir crazy."  Joanna's breath was coming in huffs.

"Pete?" Sam asked, confused.

Joanna jerked her head over by the doors.  "My shadow," she explained, indicating the soldier standing at attention with the M-16 rifle.  "We've been having deep meaningful conversations about life, the universe, and everything.  Couldn't get him to shut up before you came.  He has quite a few interesting hypotheses on quantum mechanics, you should talk to him sometime."

Sam bit back a grin, stealing a glance at the stoic airman.  "I'll do that.  How are you holding up?"

"I'm a bit wigged out, but other than that … We knew about alternate universes, but never encountered any.  I keep wanting to treat people the way I did their doubles.  You and I were best friends, Daniel was like a kid brother, Hammond basically let me get away with all sorts of insubordination as long as I took care of business … there's a whole back history we shared that now we don't.  I'm a stranger in a familiar land."

Sam nodded in sympathy, watching the deck of the treadmill.  "It's strange for us too.  I can see some of the Colonel in you, and I catch myself acting like I already know you."  She looked up at Joanna, who was really laboring to breathe now.  "Ma'am, maybe you should stop," she said, concern lacing her voice.

"Can't- " the colonel gasped.  "Knees'll- give out."  Reaching forward, Joanna turned down the treadmill, slowly coming to a walk, then stopping completely.  Gingerly, she sat down on the machine.  

"Bad move, Jo," she mumbled to herself, wincing as she stretched out her legs.

"Do you need help?"  Sam hovered, not sure what to do for her.

"Naw, I'll be okay.  Just got to ice 'em down."

Poking her head out the gym door, Sam grabbed the nearest body.  "Help the Colonel to her room."  The staff sergeant nodded, giving Joanna a hand up.  "I'll get you some ice," Sam promised before taking off toward the infirmary.

"Come on, Pete," Joanna called back to her guard as she hobbled down the corridor.  "See if you can keep up this time."

~~~~~

When Sam got back with the ice, Joanna was sitting on her bed, leaning back against the headboard.  The room was decorated with reproductions of artifacts found on various planets the SG teams had been to.

"Thanks."  She waved a hand at the relics.  "These things bring back memories.  P4K8220, P2K2106…"  Taking the two ice packs, Joanna spread a hand towel over her knees and placed the packs on top of that with a deep sigh.

"I had to tell Janet what I needed them for," Sam apologized as she sat in the armchair.  "She told me to tell you you'd get no sympathy from her when you came in tomorrow morning looking for some painkillers."

Joanna laughed.  "She knows Jack pretty well, doesn't she?"

"I brought you something else," Sam added mysteriously.  Joanna's face lit up as Sam pulled out a bottle of Glenlivet.

"Oh yeah."  Reaching for the glass Sam poured for her, she took a generous drink, the alcohol burning its way down her throat.  "I needed that."  Joanna dropped her head against the wall and sighed deeply.  "A lot of luxuries went the way of the dinosaurs when the Goa'uld got a foothold on Earth.  Hell, five minutes ago a Pabst Blue Ribbon sounded good."  She took a sip, swirling the whisky around in her mouth like it was a fine wine, then swallowed slowly.  "Your own bottle, right?"

Sam nodded, finishing her mouthful.  "Present from my Dad.  Gives me two every year --"

"-- one for your birthday and one for Christmas," Joanna finished for her.  "And you judge how your life is going by if there's any left in the old bottle when the new one comes."  The two women shared a smile.  

"What else do you miss?  Maybe I can bring you something tomorrow."

Joanna thought a moment as she savored the whisky.  "A home cooked meal.  Not those god-awful field rations we've been eating for the past year.  Chocolate.  Girl stuff, I guess.  I'd love a long soak in a real tub.  Last one was a metal footlocker filled with water we zatted to warm it up.  Decent haircut --"  Laughing at herself, she threw back the rest of the alcohol in her glass.  "Actually, do you use that melon scented care line from…" Joanna trailed off, the name on the tip of her tongue.

Sam nodded.  "I have some here, in fact.  Would you like some?"

"I'd love it.  Sam and I went and bought out the nearest store about a year ago when our situation started to go downhill.  It seemed silly to be worried about moisturizing when your world was coming to an end, but it was either have a facial or go crazy."    

"On our next day off I'll make an appointment at the day spa I go to.  We'll do it up right."  Sam's smile wavered as Joanna just stared at her with a serious expression.

"I'll be here that long, huh?"  Her tone was resigned.

"Yeah.  Probably forever."  Sam shrugged helplessly.  "Coordinating the different gates needed, much less contacting your universe --" A waved hand very similar to Jack's stopped her.

"Figured as much.  The only other way would be the quantum mirror, and that's a pile of slag at the bottom of the Mountain."  Joanna poured another double shot.  "Well, ain't this a kick in the ass.  Hope Jack doesn't mind a twin sister."      

~~~~~

"Fer cryin' out loud…what the hell do you want?"  Jack opened his door to find Daniel illuminated by the porch light, Teal'c looming behind him, and scowled at the two.

"Ah…well…"  Daniel threw him a half smile, shifting nervously from foot to foot. 

"We were concerned for your well-being, O'Neill."

Leaving the door ajar, Jack stomped back into his living room, leaving Daniel and Teal'c to follow.  "Damned mother hens," he muttered under his breath.  Plopping down on the couch, he put his stocking feet up on the coffee table and picked up his beer.  Jack waved the bottle at them.  

"I'd offer you one, but –"  He trailed off meaningfully.

"Yeah, well…" Cautiously Daniel sat on the loveseat, while Teal'c stood in front of the fireplace.

"Shouldn't you have brought MacKenzie along with you?"  Lifting an eyebrow at Daniel, Jack took a drink, then shot an annoyed look at Teal'c.  "Oh, for God's sake, sit down."  Unperturbed, the Jaffa sat at the other end of the couch from Jack.

"We decided to talk to you first before doing a full blown intervention," Daniel said, exasperated.  "We're trying to find out why you're so…upset about this other Colonel O'Neill.  It's not like you haven't dealt with Sam's double, or your android, or your own clone," he told Jack.

"You are in fact well aware of alternate universes and that they contain duplicates of ourselves.  What perplexes us is your antagonism toward Colonel O'Neill, and the cause of it."  Jack glared into Teal'c's unblinking eyes.

"She's a woman," came the weak excuse.

"Jack, I've never known you to have such an unfounded and, well, to be honest, misogynistic reaction to someone!  Sam's a woman, you've dealt with other women in the military before, what's the problem?"

Jack ran a hand through his hair, tugging on the short strands.  "She's me!"  He sighed and tried to explain further.  "I can handle clones, or 'normal' alternate universes-- although that robot pissed the hell outta me--it's like looking into a mirror.  There **I** am.  But she… she's **not** me!  It's like someone took all my memories, all the stuff that makes me **me**, and put it in a woman's body and tried to pass it off as me."  

Putting his feet on the floor, Jack leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  "It's like she stole my identity."

"But it's hers too, Jack."  Daniel also leaned forward as he tried to make his point clear.  "Unless Joanna didn't know about the existence of alternate universes, and we have to assume she did, in the back of her mind she thought the rest of you were women as well.  If you're shocked at seeing one of her, imagine how she must feel knowing that there are an infinite number of you; that she might be the only female O'Neill." 

"Indeed," Teal'c rumbled.  "I have been considering your situation, and have come to the conclusion that you and the other O'Neill are not as similar as you might at first think."   

"What do you mean?"

"It is the never-ending argument of 'nurture over nature', O'Neill.  The outside influences of the environment verses the inner genetic makeup; which has the greater consequence on one's personality."  The Jaffa's placid gaze met Jack's blank stare.

"Of course," Daniel cut in.  "As a woman, Joanna would have different responses to the life you both shared.  Not only because of the way her brain is wired, but also sexual discrimination, to be perfectly honest, in all its subtle forms.  Things you took as your due she probably had to fight for."

"Huh."  Jack sat back heavily, thinking.  "I bet she never even got to play in a hockey league."

"Exactly."  Daniel was getting animated, warming up to the subject.  "All that estrogen instead of testosterone running through her, all the gender roles of forty years ago; yes, your DNA is a near match, and your base personalities are the same, but you're Jack and she's Joanna…what makes you who you are--up here where it counts--" Daniel tapped his head, "is different."  

"Okay, you've got a valid point."  Finishing his beer, Jack watched the light refract through the green glass.  "But doesn't it seem strange to you that she **is** a woman?"

"I do not comprehend your line of reasoning, O'Neill."

"It's like this:  **all** the other alternate universes we've come across— yeah, I know it's only been two, Daniel," Jack cut off the linguist before he could speak.  "The point is, everyone's been the same sex.  They may have ended up in different jobs, but boys were boys and girls were girls.  Now Joanna shows up, where everyone is the same but her.  Kinda seems odd, doesn't it?"

Teal'c looked thoughtful as Daniel opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"Indeed, O'Neill.  It is something to ponder."

"**And**," continued Jack, "she came through the Gate, not the mirror.  Sure Carter thinks that the thermonuclear explosion," Jack waved his hand, dismissing the ramifications of excited, radioactive quarks on influencing Gate travel to alternate universes as nothing of consequence, "had something to do with it, but we've never had even a hint that the Gate itself could do what a mirror does.

"I dunno, something just doesn't seem right.  I've got that prickly feeling I used to get in Iraq right before a mission went to hell."  He sighed and stared at the empty beer bottle a moment, then looked at them.  "Hey, you guys hungry?"

"One good thing has come out of this at least," Daniel said as Jack reached for the phone to order pizza.  "Now you have someone to go fishing with you."

Jack perked up at the thought.

~~~~~


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four 

"—and then Jack 'accidentally' tripped Mahem, and that pompous Chancellor and his roaming hands went face first into the mud!"  Sam waved her arms about as she demonstrated the bureaucrat's fall from grace while Joanna howled in laughter.  "Daniel and I stared in shock, Teal'c raised an eyebrow, but Jack –he just stood there with his 'Was that my fault?' look on his face and finally offered up a very insincere 'Sorry!'" 

"Oh Christ …"  Sitting up off the floor Joanna wiped the tears from her eyes.  "I haven't laughed that hard in years."  She held out her glass for another refill, almost putting her hand in a bowl of pretzels.  The two women had gone and raided the commissary when they suddenly got hungry; their spoils littered the room.

"So."  She let the whisky slide down her throat.  "Anything between you and Jack?"

"What?  No -"  Sam emphatically shook her head.  "He's my CO!"  She stared at Joanna, puzzled.  "Why?"

"I didn't say you were having an affair with him, just wondering if there was something between you two.  You and I were best friends in my universe; thought maybe that closeness might have turned to something else since Jack's a guy."  She shrugged and took a drink.  

"No.  Not in this universe, trust me.  Although…"

"Hmm?"  Looking up from contemplating the amber color of the whisky, Joanna frowned at the half-smile Sam was trying to hold back.

"So you and I were good friends, and the Colonel and Teal'c have the same relationship here.  Were you and he…" She trailed off suggestively.

"Was I sleeping with the enemy?"

Having learned from Jack that sometimes you let the other person answer their own question, Sam didn't say anything, just continued to look at Joanna.  The alternate universe colonel grinned, knowing exactly what Sam was doing.

"I never slept with him, if that's what you're asking."

"But…?"

Joanna stared at the floor, picking up stray pretzels and cheesy poofs.  "We had a love/hate…no, more like a lust/loathe relationship.  You've seen him," she lifted her eyes to meet Sam's serious ones.  "He subjected himself to Apophis, but he's an alpha male in his own right… that air of command he has… add to that he's dammed good looking."  Joanna gave a short laugh.  "But…my Teal'c was **not** a nice person, Sam.  There was a coldness, a ruthlessness in him that turned my stomach."

"What about him?"

"He felt it too," Joanna chuckled.  "And hated himself for it.  That he could want a Taur'ri who would dare oppose his Gods…a year or two ago we got captured and Teal'c told me that if I pledged myself to Apophis he would get me my own symbiote so we could serve his God together.  I said as soon as he figured out that two-bit, boom-box voiced, jumped up snake wasn't a God, we'd talk."  Rubbing her cheek, she remembered his reaction.  "He wasn't too happy with my answer."

"It must be hard seeing our Teal'c."  Sam's voice was low in the quiet of the room.  "Here's a version that did renounce the Goa'uld, who's fighting against them, everything you wanted your Teal'c to be; but you're a stranger to him."

"Yeah.  Most of me freaked out seeing him in the Gateroom, apparently alive and kicking.  But a very small part was weirdly happy he wasn't dead, even though I wouldn't have hesitated to kill him again if I had to.  And I know he'd certainly do the same to me."

~~~~~

"What the--?  Son of a bitch…three minutes for tripping?  He skated right into him!"

"Do you believe your team finally has a chance this year to adequately compete in the battle for Lord Stanley's Cup, O'Neill?"  Teal'c tossed another peanut up into the air, neatly catching it in his mouth without having to move an inch. 

"Maybe if they get their sticks outta their asses…I can't believe they're losing to Washington…" 

"That had to hurt."  Daniel winced as a defenseman got cross-checked.

~~~~~

"I should get going before we drink the entire bottle."  Sam stood up slowly, waiting until she was sure she wasn't going to fall over before beginning to pick up scattered snack products.

"Did you get what you came for?"  Looking up at Joanna's dry tone, Sam met the colonel's shuttered eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I'd be very disappointed in Hammond if he didn't send you here to try and figure out if I am who I say I am.  You've only my word as it is."

Sam and Joanna gazed at each other; their previous camaraderie spoiled by this new tension, until Sam relaxed with a wry grin.

"Do you blame him?"

"Not in the least," Joanna said with an answering smile.

Hand on the doorknob, Sam turned back.  "I don't know what the General has planned for you tomorrow, but would you like to have breakfast with Daniel and me?  0800?"

Joanna nodded.  "Thanks."

"See you then."  Sam gave a little half wave, then slipped out the door.

Sighing, Joanna let her gaze slide over the room.  She wandered over to the bookcase and pulled a slim hardback out at random.  Flopping down in the armchair, she opened the book, ready for Daniel to explain Evolution Of The Usage Of The Ma'at Emblem In The Reign Of Amonthose The 3rd.  Ten minutes later she was still on the first page when a knock came at the door. 

"Ma'am?" an impossibly young voice called through the door.  Eager for a distraction, Joanna yanked the door opened so suddenly the airman on the other side jumped back in fear.

"Major Carter sent this over, ma'am."  Thrusting a small cardboard box at her, the boy's Adam's apple bobbed nervously as his voice broke.  "There's a robe in the bathroom, ma'am; if you want me to send your clothes to the laundry they'll have them ready by tomorrow morning."  A bright red flush crept up his thin cheeks.

"Thanks."  Shutting the door and opening the box, Joanna smiled as she saw the scented soap and other items Sam included.  Humming happily, she wondered how much hot water the Mountain had.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five 

Standing in front of the mirror, Joanna tucked her black t-shirt into the standard olive green pants, and checked her appearance one last time.  Her silver streaked hair was back into its orderly, folded-under French braid, clothes were cleaned and pressed, and she felt much better after a shower and a decent night's sleep.  A frown clouded her face, though, as she waited for Sam, thinking of her own team, who she'd left back in the alternate universe, wondering if they had escaped the Goa'uld. 

A knock on the door brought her to the present, and Joanna opened the door to a waiting Teal'c.  Expecting someone else entirely, Joanna stepped back from the intimidating Jaffa and reached for a gun before remembering this wasn't her Teal'c and she didn't have her guns. 

A cocked eyebrow was his only response. 

"Sorry.  Force of habit."  She lifted her chin defiantly, looking him in the eye.

"Understandable, O'Neill.  Are you sufficiently prepared to partake of the morning repast?" 

"Yeah."  Shutting the door behind her, Joanna walked with Teal'c down the corridor in silence.  Finally she broke it. 

"I thought Carter was supposed to come get me." 

"I convinced Major Carter otherwise." With a short bow, Teal'c held the door to the commissary open for her. 

Shooting him a puzzled glance, Joanna stopped in front of the buffet.  

"Is there nothing here that tempts you, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, his deep voice in her ear, as she made no move to choose something to eat. 

Her spine stiffened at his accidental, unfortunate choice of words.  "I haven't seen this much food in a long time."  Quickly she chose a bowl of fruit and some scrambled eggs, snagging the ketchup as Teal'c led her to where Sam and Daniel were sitting. 

"That's one thing she and Jack don't have in common," Daniel commented as they watched Joanna squirt a healthy dollop of ketchup on her eggs. 

She stared down at the yellow and red mess on her plate, just realizing what she had done.  "It's the only way I could force down the powdered junk they called eggs back home.  Old habits."  Carefully, Joanna scraped off most of the ketchup.      

"Hey, kids."  Jack sauntered over to their table, frowning at Joanna's plate, then wisely deciding not to say anything.  "Hammond wants those reports by 0900.  Gimme yours when you're done and I'll hand them in with mine." 

"Already turned in, sir," Sam answered brightly.  "I finished mine last night."

"Ahh, mine too."  Daniel blinked, confused, as Jack glared at him.  "There really wasn't much in the way of ancient --" 

"Yeah, whatever.  What about you?"  Jack turned to Teal'c. 

"Indeed, O'Neill, I also have completed my statement of the difficulties in defending a mine on P3K5186 if the preliminary tests of the planet's soil show there to be adequate deposits of naquadah."

"I was out sick," Joanna chimed in. 

"Great," Jack managed to get out, thrown for the moment.  "I need to talk to these two," he jerked his head toward Sam and Daniel, "about that thing we discussed before," he gave Teal'c a meaningful look.  "Why don't you take Joanna around and…show her the firing range or something." 

"Very well, O'Neill." 

Sensing their boss was in one of his moods, Sam and Daniel rushed through their breakfast as Jack hovered, obviously waiting for them. 

"Don't let him push you around," Joanna called out as they got up from the table.  She smiled sweetly at Jack's departing glare. 

"It's going to be so easy to yank his chain," chuckled Joanna as she watched the trio leave. 

"Conversely, it will also be a simple matter for O'Neill to 'yank your chain,'" Teal'c commented back. 

"Oh yeah," she readily agreed.  "No doubt about that.  But I'll probably be able to realize when he's doing it about a second before he'd figure out I'm doing it to him."   Joanna gave Teal'c a conspiratorial smile. 

"Without a doubt," he rumbled back. 

~~~~~ 

"This is the SGC firing range."  Teal'c held the door, letting Joanna enter first.  After two hours visiting the SG complex, replete with her own personal door-opening tour guide Jaffa, Joanna had almost gotten used to him.  Especially since he wasn't trying to kill her like her Teal'c nearly always did. 

They stood in front of the weapons master and his armory, looking over the various firearms the SGC used.  "Would you like to handle the P90, O'Neill?" 

The weapons master looked startled at the name, but at her okay and Teal'c's nod, he brought down the gun, waiting until Teal'c had signed for it before handing it to Joanna.  Turning it over in her hands, she followed Teal'c down the stark gray corridor to a firing line. 

"It looks smaller than ours.  Seventy-five round horizontal clip?  Thousand armor-piercing rounds per minute?"  She glanced up at him. 

"Fifty rounds, nine hundred a minute." 

Nodding, Joanna placed her hands on the stock, widening her stance for balance.  

"Perhaps if you…" Reaching around her, Teal'c placed his hands over her own, shifting them minutely. 

"I don't think— "  Breaking off at the warm feel of him against her back, Joanna fought the near overwhelming urge to strike out against the Jaffa.  Flashes of the last time she was in a position like this, with her Teal'c holding a staff weapon against her throat, came back to her and only with difficulty did she keep herself under control.  

"Are you alright, O'Neill?"  The deep timbre of his voice rolled through her. 

"I'm fine," she retorted, angry with herself for wanting him back as soon as he moved away.  Firing the gun in short, controlled bursts, Joanna cut out a neat circle in the target's chest with only a few strays, putting a couple of bullets through its head for good measure. 

"Impressive."  Teal'c took her through the rest of the armory's collection; Joanna also broke down and cleaned the ones she was familiar with. 

"Are you acquainted with a staff weapon and its uses?"  They stood in front of the weapons master, who now looked upon her with much more respect. 

"Of course.  Sometimes we ran out of ammo; had to use whatever was there."  Taking the one handed her, she tested the balance.  "Lighter, if you have it."  Approving of the next one, Joanna walked down to the last, larger firing line, swinging the staff weapon in lazy arcs, getting used to the feel.  Priming it, she took sight and let loose a crackling volley of energy blasts down the range. 

"Your aim is commendable, O'Neill," Teal'c commented, as charred remains of the target floated down. 

"Kill or be killed."  She faced him, handing the staff weapon back.  "Do you guys use throwing knifes?" 

"O'Neill is quite proficient in their usage.  Are you yourself?" 

Joanna nodded, suddenly aware of how near they were standing, how alone they were.  "They're good for silent work, and close range, of course."  Hesitating, she stepped toward him.  "They can slip under a Jaffa's armor here…" she placed her hand against his upper ribcage, "…and here…" her hand slid down to rest against his lower back.  The heat from his warmer body sank into her cooler palm.  "And of course the neck was always exposed…" 

She looked at him, a challenge flashing in her eyes; an answering predatory gleam appeared in his.  Her stomach flipped at the frank admiration they held. 

"So…what's next on the 'find out how much she knows' agenda?"  Joanna spoke with more bravado than she felt.  "Military strategy?  Hand to hand combat?" 

"Both," replied Teal'c, unperturbed that she had figured out what he was doing.  "O'Neill wanted to ascertain your competency levels in various disciplines.  We shall speak of military tactics on the way to the gymnasium." 

Stepping back, Joanna dropped her hand, letting the tenuous connection she felt with him fade.  "Guess I can't blame him either," she muttered.  "Well, lead on, MacDuff." 

With an incline of his head, Teal'c motioned for her to go first.  With a sigh, she did. 

~~~~~

Joanna paced the mat in the gym, rolling her shoulders and loosening her arms as she waited for Teal'c to come out of the men's locker room.  She was in the same olive green t-shirt and shorts Janet had seen her in, although the daisy socks had been left behind.  Bouncing on the balls of her bare feet, Joanna wondered what was taking the Jaffa so long, then grinned as she figured it probably was to set her on edge, make her jumpy. 

A few deep breaths had settled her somewhat, but that was shot to hell when Teal'c came striding out, clad only in a high-waisted, very tight pair of deep red lycra shorts.  The thought that they had been painted on crossed Joanna's mind before she ruthlessly squashed it.  She glared at Teal'c, bristling at the knowing smirk on his face.  They faced each other a moment, waiting. 

Relaxing her stance, Joanna sighed.  "Any day now." 

The words had barely gotten out of her mouth before Teal'c leapt forward and Joanna neatly stepped aside, having expected him to do just that.  With a sweep of her leg and a well-placed arm, Teal'c landed on his back, the solid thud echoing against the concrete walls. 

"Damn, dropped you like third period French."  Holding out her hand, Joanna grinned and helped him up.  "Shall we do it over?"  Squaring off again, the pair circled each other. 

Three falls later, Joanna once more pulled Teal'c to his feet.  "Fer cryin' out loud, you're wasting my time."  Exasperation was clear in her voice.  "Either you're going easy on me 'cause I'm a woman, or you're trying to soften me up, or…who the hell knows what.  Whatever it is, quit it!" 

Teal'c smiled, the gleam back in his eye.  "Very well, O'Neill."  With that he came at her again, but this time instead of deflecting the blow Joanna met him head on.  The next twelve minutes were spent blocking and striking, thrusting and parrying in an interesting mix of martial arts and Greco-Roman wrestling.  However, in the end, the tables had turned and Teal'c pinned Joanna face down on the mat. 

"Do you yield, O'Neill?"  One of his hands held one of hers above her head, the other at the small of her back.  His lower body covered hers, keeping her prone with little effort. 

"Bite me," Joanna muttered half into the mat.  A brief scuffle followed, but the only thing that changed was she now faced up. 

A pleased smile crossed Teal'c's features.  "Do you yield, O'Neill?" 

"Fuck!"  A last ditch attempt to get free only made Joanna realize she wasn't going anywhere.  Her pique turned to something else though, as she discovered her struggles had gotten a different kind of rise out of Teal'c than her taunts had.  She stopped resisting, her body relaxing under his as she finally noticed the provocative position they were in, the hard planes of his body pressing against her yielding curves.  

They stared at each other, the moment stretching out between them.  The predatory look in Teal'c's eyes was back, with more than a suggestion of desire.  Joanna felt her heart pound and her stomach tie in knots as the old 'fight or flight' instinct began to kick in.  She had to forcibly remind herself that this was not the Teal'c from her universe, that this one was not going to kill her. 

"Do you yield, O'Neill?"  Was it her imagination or was there more than a touch of innuendo in his words?  Closing her eyes and turning away from his gaze, Joanna gave the only answer she could. 

"Yes, dammit." 

In one swift movement Teal'c stood, offering his hand to her.  "And you can wipe that grin off your face," she groused as he gently aided her to her feet. 

"I believe there is the human custom of 'forfeit' to consider," he placidly responded. 

"What?!"  Joanna looked at him like he was insane, trying very hard to keep her eyes away from those red shorts.  

"I emerged the victor of our match; now it is my right to demand forfeiture."

"You're kidding me."  Hands on her hips, Joanna tried to stare Teal'c down. 

"Indeed I am not, O'Neill."    

"Fine.  Whaddaya want?" 

Moving closer, Teal'c stood within inches of her.  "The pleasure of your company during tomorrow's evening meal." 

"I'm supposed to eat with you guys anyw-- ohhhh …" she trailed off as she realized what he was demanding.  Her teeth came out to worry her lower lip.  "Really?"  

"Assuredly," he answered, his voice deep and persuasive, his eyes on her mouth. 

"Hey, kids."  

Joanna jumped at the sound of Jack's voice.  He took in the blush on her cheeks and the smug look on Teal'c's face.  "What's up?" 

"Colonel O'Neill has just this moment consented to have dinner with me tomorrow night."  The Jaffa not only looked smug, he sounded it. 

"Oh really?"  The cynicism was evident in Jack's voice. 

"Indeed," Teal'c replied at the same time Joanna answered "No." 

"You must," the Jaffa countered.  "To not do so would be dishonorable." 

"Fine," she repeated.  "Dinner." 

"In my quarters." 

Joanna looked like she needed to hit something.  "In your quarters," she managed to get out before throwing a quick glance at Jack and almost storming off to the women's locker room.  

"Well, won't that be cozy," Jack dropped into the silence. 

"In truth I have every hope it will be, O'Neill."  Teal'c looked extremely pleased with himself, Jack was quick to notice with a roll of his eyes.  Finally catching sight of Teal'c's state of arousal, however, Jack's expression swiftly changed to flinty disapproval. 

"You don't…**like** her, do you?"  

"No."  Teal'c's answer was short and final. 

Jack frowned, working through the grammar of his question, finally realizing that Teal'c did, in fact, like Joanna.  "That is **so** wrong, on **so **many levels!"  He moved to stand in front of Teal'c, frustration and incredulity tying his tongue.  "She's me, for God's sake!  It'd be like kissing **me**!"

"I do not believe so.  And I look forward to disputing your theory." 

"Aw, fer cryin' out loud…"  Shifting uncomfortably, Jack met Teal'c's amused gaze.  "Get changed and meet me in my office.  I need your input before I turn in that report." 

"I am able to give it to you now.  Colonel O'Neill is extremely proficient in a wide variety of weapons, her knowledge of strategy and tactics is extensive, and although her smaller stature and strength were a slight drawback in hand-to-hand combat, she makes up for it with innovative techniques.  Indeed, she is just like yourself in those regards.  Therefore I deem it would be of great benefit to have Colonel O'Neill join the SG program." 

"You sure that's not the **other **junior talking?"  

Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow.  "I will be spending the next few hours in kelnorim.  I do not wish to be disturbed."  Turning, he left Jack standing alone. 

"You go on with your bad self-- then."  With a sigh, Jack went to finish his report. 

~~~~~


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

"Colonel!"

"General!"  Lazily spinning around on one foot, Jack jogged back to meet Hammond, who was coming toward him.

"Walk with me, Jack."  Not waiting to see if O'Neill followed, Hammond turned a corner.

"Sir?"  

"I read your report on your double; I don't think I've ever read a more jumbled mess of ifs, maybes, and perhapses."

"So I have a few reservations…"

Halting, the General looked at Jack.  "Do you think she's a Goa'uld spy?"

"I dunno."  Jack threw out his hands.  "I wouldn't put it past them, but if she is, I don't think she knows it."

"We could try the Tok'ra za'tarc detector, see if she's hiding anything."

Jack nodded slowly.  "That might work…"

"I'm inclined to think she isn't, but it won't hurt to give it try.  I'll let you know when I get an answer from the Tok'ra.  Meanwhile, we'll try a test of our own.  Set up the alpha site village for an incursion exercise.  You'll commence at 0800 tomorrow."  With a nod of dismissal, Hammond strode away.

Looking thoughtful, Jack went in the other direction to inform his team.

~~~~~

At the knock on her door Joanna called out 'Enter!', not looking up from her task.

Jack sauntered in, stopping short at the sight of her clad in an olive green tank and shorts, her damp hair in a thick braid down her back, and one knee tucked up by her cheek as she expertly applied a dark rose lacquer.

"What are you doing?!"

She gave one last stroke with the brush and screwed the cap back on the bottle, finally looking up at an indignant Jack and an amused Teal'c.  "Putting on nail polish.  What does it look like?"  Leaning down, Joanna gently blew on her toes.

"Those are **my** toes!  Get--take it off!" he blustered.

"They aren't **your** toes, Jack, they're **mine**.  And since I can't wear it on my fingers, it goes on my toes."  She smiled at the rhyme.  "What do you want?"

"I—"

"Colonel," an airman panted as he appeared in the doorway, interrupting Jack.  

"What?"  Both Jack and Joanna answered, causing the startled young man to freeze.  

"Umm, Major Carter is looking for you, sir."

"Fine."  Halfway out the door, Jack turned back to see Teal'c wasn't behind him.  "Coming?" he asked the Jaffa.

"I will stay with this Colonel," Teal'c replied, bowing slightly in Joanna's direction, wordlessly asking her agreement.  She shrugged.

Eyes narrowed, Jack glared from one to the other before leaving, shutting the door a little harder than necessary.

"I trust that our sparring session in the gymnasium left no lasting damage, O'Neill?"  Taking a seat in the armchair and steepling his fingers in front of him, Teal'c looked at her kindly.  

"No, I'm fine."  Still feeling somewhat self-conscious about Teal'c's blatant admiration, Joanna stretched her foot out and examined her toes, obstinately checking her handiwork.

"I am familiar with the human practice of painting one's nails," commented Teal'c, taking her foot in his large hand.  Her sole was cradled in his palm, his thumb caressing her instep as he looked closer at her toes.  "However I am not certain I comprehend why."

Joanna watched him, nerves on fire at the erotic sight of him holding her leg.  "Careful, they're still wet."

Softly he blew across them, his breath making her gasp lightly at the warmth.

Slowly Teal'c's gaze moved up the swell of her calf, the curve of her thigh.  It lingering at the open neck of her tank where her dog tags lay against the swell of her breasts, rising and falling with each nervous breath she took.  His eyes finally came to rest on her face, his hand tightening gently around her foot; the intense want in his dark eyes sent shivers down her spine.

 "Teal'c…" came out on a sigh.

Placing her foot on the carpeted floor, Teal'c stood, causing her to look up.  "Until tomorrow tonight, Joanna O'Neill."  

The old familiar adrenaline rush went through Joanna as he loomed above her; in a twist of what usually happened when she and her Teal'c met, Joanna stifled the feeling of alarm, and let the one of desire through.  Silently she watched as this Teal'c bowed in departure, taking his leave of her.

And even though she had just finished with one, she went to take another cold shower.

~~~~~

Later Joanna stood in the doorway to Jack's office, watching him plow through a pile of paperwork.  It looked as if he enjoyed it as little as she did. 

"What can I do for you?" Jack finished what he was writing, then looked up at her, his expression unreadable.

 "You came to see me," she shrugged.  

"Oh yeah."  He waved at a chair.

Taking a seat, Joanna noticed a framed photo on Jack's desk.  Looking at him for permission, but getting neither a yes nor a no, she picked it up to see a tow-headed boy with dark hair.

"Who's the kid?"

"Charlie."  Joanna glanced up at the soft tone in Jack's voice.  "My son."

"Your son?"  Looking back down at the picture, a smile of tender longing crossed her face.  "You have a son?"  She touched the glass, searching for signs of them in Charlie's face.

"Had.  He's dead.  Shot himself with my service pistol."

Joanna's head snapped up, her eyes meeting Jack's.  His despair was mirrored in her own.  "God, I'm so sorry."  Blinking away tears, she ducked her head to study the photo again.  

"I never had children."  Joanna placed the frame back, giving it a wistful look.  "What was he like?"

"He was a good kid."  They both stared at Charlie as Jack spoke.  "I'd take him to the cabin to 'fish', we'd go to baseball games-- he'd push his limits like any kid, but overall… Sarah had bad postpartum depression, so I took care of Charlie a lot in the early months.  She wouldn't breastfeed, so we played formula roulette; I wore a hole in the carpet walking him every night.

"When it happened… Sarah and I had a good marriage, but Charlie's death… she forgave me, but just couldn't forget.  I was a daily reminder.  We grew apart."  Jack trailed off.  "That's why they picked me for the original Stargate mission.  Assess the situation on the other side, and blow up the Gate if there was a threat to Earth."

"What happened?"

"Guess I had a stronger survival instinct than I thought."  Jack smiled humorlessly. 

Thinking a moment, Joanna looked at Charlie's picture.  "Sarah?  You married Sarah Thompson?"

"Yeah.  You knew her too?"

Joanna shrugged.  "We were friends, good ones I thought, but we had a falling out and never seemed to be able to patch things up."

"So no kids…what about a husband?" Jack asked casually.

"No husband; couldn't find anyone who could stand living with a female Jack, I suppose."  The bitterness in her voice was faint, but there nonetheless.

"Boyfriends?  There's no way I would have been celibate, I can't imagine you would be."

A smirk crossed Joanna's face and she glanced down, brushing imaginary lint off her crossed olive-clad leg.  "Stephen Moore."  The smirk blossomed into a grin at the expression of disbelief on his face.

"Stephen?!?  He was my best man!" Jack sputtered.

"Yes, he certainly was," Joanna murmured, then laughed aloud.  "I'm sure I'd be shocked at the women *you* chose to screw, Jack.  Let's just leave it at that."

"Fine."  Miffed, Jack stared at her a moment.  "We're taking a trip off-world tomorrow, Hammond wants you to come with."

Noting his change in manner, Joanna met his glaze, unblinking.  "Mm-hmm.  Sure, why not?" she replied, shrugging a shoulder.

~~~~~

"So Jack said you're having dinner with Joanna tomorrow night."  Sitting on a crate, Daniel watched Teal'c finish setting up the testing ground's thatched homes for the exercise.

"Indeed I am."  Looking at his handiwork, Teal'c added a few staff scorch marks to the structures.

Daniel winced at the noise as the weapon fired.  "Is this all really necessary?  It looks like you've destroyed half the village."

"Colonel O'Neill is an astute soldier.  It will take much to deceive her into believing this is an actual engagement and not merely an assessment of her skills.  It is well worth the loss, if she possesses the same knowledge and expertise as does our own O'Neill."  Teal'c's eyes swept the damaged buildings, and a small smile crossed his face.  "I have finished here."  Turning, he strode off to the main compound.  

"What?"  Daniel glanced up to see Teal'c's retreating back.  "Oh, yeah, me too."  Hopping off the crate he jogged to catch up with him.  "So you're having dinner with her?  In your quarters?"

Teal'c stopped short and turned, almost causing Daniel to run into him.  "I believe I have already confirmed this.  Is there a problem, Daniel Jackson?"

"Ah, no, not at all.  It's just that you seem to be getting rather serious rather quickly.  Just wondering what the attraction was."  He stood blinking as the imposing Jaffa stared at him. 

"She is a woman of strong spirit."

"So you like her for her personality."

"Amongst other things."

Daniel sighed, rubbing his forehead.  "You don't think that it's a little strange being attracted to someone who's basically Jack?"

Serene, Teal'c continued to stare at Daniel.  "It is because she is like O'Neill that I am drawn to her character.  It is quite a different reason that I am attracted to her physically."

Blinking, Daniel digested what the Jaffa had said.  "Just looking out for you…"  He flashed him an apologetic half smile.

"For which I thank you."  Teal'c bowed slightly before striding off.

Sighing again, Daniel followed.


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Standing in front of the Gate with SG-1 as the inner ring spun and the chevrons engaged, Joanna fished out her dogtags from under her t-shirt.  Untangling a silver disk from the tag's chain, she crossed herself with it before giving it a brief kiss and tucking it back under her shirt.

"What was that?" Jack asked, having seen the entire ritual.

Puzzled, Joanna pulled the disk out again and showed it to him.  "St. Michael's medal.  Patron saint of soldiers."

"You heavy into that stuff?"   Jack made a very sloppy sign of the cross to get his meaning across.

Joanna shrugged as Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c watched the interchange.  "Once the Goa'uld invaded and we found out all the old gods were snakes, there was a mass flocking to the Judeo/Christian God.  The only one who hadn't turned out to be an alien.  Mom and Dad had never really left the Church though.  You aren't…"

"Naw."  Jack turned to watch the vortex form, then subside to the event horizon.  "I kinda…lapsed…"  He gave himself a brief shake.  "Okay, kids, let's go!"

Daniel and Sam followed him up to the Gate, as Teal'c joined Joanna at the foot of the ramp.  

"You fight the false gods of the Goa'uld, yet you still worship Yahweh?"

Joanna glanced over at him, the blue light of the horizon flickering on their faces.  "He's not a Goa'uld."

"And if He is shown to be one?"

"He'll join the rest then."  She looked up to where Jack was waiting. "Shall we?"

Teal'c bowed, both conceding the point and agreeing with her.  Together they joined Jack.

~~~~~

Stepping through the alpha site's Gate, Joanna looked around at the unfamiliar terrain and the huge moon overhead, and followed SG-1 down the wide stone steps.  She glanced at a well-worn path as they passed it to take a smaller, narrow one, but as no one said anything about, she filed it away for future reference.  

Jack took point, with Sam behind him, then Daniel and Joanna, Teal'c bringing up a very imposing rear.  They had been walking a few minutes when the sound of staff weapon fire cut through the air.  

As one the group dropped to the ground, following Jack as he made his way through the underbrush, staying within the tree line as the village came into view.  "Jaffa," muttered Jack as he looked through his scope.  

Sam grunted in agreement.  "Can you make out whose, sir?"

Silent, Joanna watched the action below as SG-1 debated which System Lord was making a raid.  Hulking Jaffa herded flinching men and women dressed in homespun clothing into the village center.  

"There's no children," she finally said.

Jack and Sam stopped talking and shot each other a glance.

"Ahh, there haven't been any children born here in a while," Daniel answered, thinking fast.  "That's one thing we're helping them with.  Is it something in the water, or a soil contaminant?  Maybe the ozone layer has thinned and radiation is causing the sterilization— "

Jack glared at Sam who elbowed Daniel in the ribs, finally getting him to shut up.  Joanna merely gave an abstracted 'Oh' and kept studying the village while Teal'c bit back a smile.

"Okay, kids, here's the plan."  Jack jumped in before any more awkward questions could be asked.  "We're out-numbered but we've got the element of surprise.  So this is what we're gonna do… "

~~~~~

Janet looked up as General Hammond came into the infirmary.  "You wanted to see me, Doctor Fraiser?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, it's about the new Colonel O'Neill.  I've found something…strange."  

"Explain," Hammond barked.

"Something about her exam results were nagging me, so I went back to take another look at them.  It's the injuries she supposedly took in the line of fire."

Confused, Hammond crossed his arms and frowned at Janet.  "Supposedly?"

"Yes, the Colonel has scars from where she was shot, stabbed, and the like; but there's no evidence of internal damage.  It's all superficial.  And there's more.  I found traces of naquadah and nish'ta in her system.  At some point she was host to a Goa'uld and was under someone's mind-control.  Taken each on its own that's not much, look at SG-1, but added to the deceptive scarring…I suggest we keep a close eye on this 'Colonel' until we figure out who she really is."

"Thank you, Doctor.  Right now the other Colonel O'Neill is at the alpha site with SG-1.  They're running her through a proficiency evaluation."

Janet just looked at him in amazement.  "I…see, sir."

"We'll see soon enough, Doctor."

~~~~~

Crouched at the back of an overturned cart, Teal'c and Joanna watched as three Jaffa marched by.  "Doesn't look like a full battalion," she murmured, thinking of the limited number they had seen so far.

"The remainder may be in another part of the village," answered Teal'c after the three lieutenants in disguise had passed.

"Maybe."  Taking aim, she shot them in quick succession.

"I will conceal the bodies while you scout ahead."   Running across the street, Teal'c made it to the prone Jaffa soldiers and began dragging them into a small house as Joanna continued their sweep.

As Teal'c brought in the last man, the first began to stir.  Kneeling as if to tie him up, Teal'c whispered "Tell Colonel O'Neill that we are on our way to the Great Hall."  Lieutenant Williams nodded faintly, still smarting from the intar hit.

Striding out, Teal'c went to catch up with Joanna.

She hid in a recessed doorway as she waited for Teal'c, watching one of the larger thatched buildings, the double-door entrance flanked by two imposing Jaffa.  Slipping out three of her knives, she drew her arm back and in a smooth, easy motion threw one knife, then another.  Her aim was true, each weapons hitting a Jaffa in the side, just under the ribs.  A moment later Teal'c found her and slid into the doorway.

"Didn't think you mind if I went ahead," Joanna said, indicating the Jaffa.  "Safe bet the head honcho's in there.  Ready?"

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

As soon as the word left his mouth, Joanna was up and running, Teal'c right behind her; her eyes swept the perimeter, P90 trained on the Jaffa.  Flattening herself against the wall outside the door, she kept an eye on the prone bodies at her feet and an ear to what was going on inside the house.  Joanna frowned slightly as she looked at the guards.

"Something's not—"  She broke off as someone inside screamed.  Jerking her head toward the doors, Joanna got an affirmative nod from Teal'c.  He stepped in front of one and kicked it down, rushing into the small foyer inside, Joanna following right behind.

"Which way?" she asked, eyes and weapon crisscrossing the room.  Another cry came from the left and up, so they passed through a few other rooms, finally finding a stairway.  Slowly they climbed it, Joanna's gun trained ahead, Teal'c's staff weapon to the rear until they were at the top of the stairs.  

Step by step, they went down the main hallway, voices getting louder as they approached the last, largest room.   Once more Teal'c kicked the door in and the two rushed through.

"Don't move or I **will** blow your brains out," she informed the Jaffa First Prime, the red dot of her laser sight steady in the middle of his golden brand.  Teal'c's weapon was trained on the other two surprised guards.  An older man in finer clothing than the other villagers cowered in the corner.

The First Prime sneered.  "Apophis' shol'val and a woman.  You cannot hope to defeat Hura-ur's Jaffa."

The corner of Joanna's mouth quirked as she fought a grin.  "Yeah, well, it ain't just me and the big guy here.  I got the rest of SG-1 and SG-9 rounding up your vaunted Jaffa— **FUCK**!"

Letting her weapon drop, Joanna spun and ran out of the room.  She ignored Teal'c calling after her and reached for her radio as she took the stairs two at a time.

"Jack!  Get Janet and a med team here pronto!  I've got two men down and I need help!"

"That's a negative, we're pinned and there ain't no way we can get to the gate."  Weapon chatter could be heard behind Jack's voice.

"Cut the line, Jack, I know this is an exercise!"  Bursting through the front door, Joanna fell to her knees beside the two men lying in the dirt.  "Call off your 'Jaffa' and go get Janet!  **Now**, Colonel!"  

Stripping off her tac vest, she ripped open one of the pockets and got out a compression bandage, her fingers probing the area where her knife had entered the soldier's abdomen.  Deciding that it probably hadn't punctured anything that would continue bleeding profusely, she swiftly pulled out the blade and pressed the bandage to the wound.

"**Teal'c!**"  Her bellow brought him sprinting out the door to crouch next to her.  "Help me get his chest plate off.  What the **fuck** were they thinking, putting **me** through a blind training exercise, could have gotten someone killed, for cryin' out loud."  After the plate was off, they were able to secure the bandage around the boy's chest.

Unfortunately, her bellow also attracted the notice of a wandering 'Jaffa' patrol, and taking aim, they laid fire down around the quartet.

"Dammit!"  Joanna crouched over the wounded man as dirt and rocks rained upon them.  "Cease fire!"  Picking herself up she turned toward the patrol.  "The training exercise has been compromised!  Go make sure Colonel O'Neill is getting a med team!"  The false Jaffa paused, not sure what to make of the twist in the plot.  

"The airmen have been injured and need medical attention.  Return with a medic after you have seen O'Neill."  Teal'c's words convinced the patrol, and with a curt nod they took off to find the Colonel. 

Joanna meanwhile had been examining the other fallen soldier.  "I don't dare remove this knife.  I think it hit something vital."  Sitting back on her heels, she shook her head and waited for Janet.

~~~~~

Jack and Joanna were the last ones through the Gate, trailing behind the medical team and the wounded.

General Hammond stood at the floor of the ramp, looking alternately at the two of them.  "Would someone mind telling me what the hell happened?"

Joanna spoke up.  "While taking the Great Hall I used my throwing knives to subdue two Jaffa guards.  Only they weren't Jaffa.  Once I realized it was only a training exercise—" Here she broke off and glared at Jack.  "–I went back down, radioing to the Colonel to get Janet and proceeded to administer first aid."

Narrowing his eyes, Jack stared at Joanna.  "When did you figure out it was just an exercise?"

"I got suspicious after the two airmen went down.  They didn't have symbiotes.  Then when I realized the First Prime didn't have one either, I knew."

"How?"  Jack looked confused.

"She has naquadah in her system," Hammond answered for her.

Joanna threw a puzzled glance at Jack.  "Don't you?"

"No!" was his emphatic reply.

Hammond jumped in before the two could start arguing.  "Dr. Fraiser has said the airmen should make a full recovery.  That, however, callous as it may seem, is the least of our worries."  He turned to look up at the conference room window, Jack and Joanna's eyes following to see Thor and Loki watching them.

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud," they said together.


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Joanna stared at the Asgard in shock.  "I'm a what?"

"A clone," repeated Thor.  

"So not only did you make a mini me, you gave me a sex change!"  Jack was as close to becoming hysterical as he had ever been.  The rest of SG-1 looked from him to Joanna to Thor and back again.

"As I said, Joanna was another of Loki's experiments to find material to stop the genetic drift in our reproduction.  An unauthorized experiment, I must add."  Thor's face remained placid although his voice had a hard edge to it. 

"Why?  How?"

Loki turned to Joanna.  "As a female, your eggs provided an almost limitless sample of DNA.  Combined with the male O'Neill's DNA we had on file, I was able to create much wider permutations that could have been the answer to our problem."

"Combined?"  Joanna focused on that one word.  "Are you telling me I have **children**?"  Getting up out of her chair, she leaned over the table at Loki, her hands balling into fists.  "You're experimenting on my children?"  Only the touch of Jack's hand on her arm held her back.

"No, not at all," Loki quickly answered.  "The combined DNA was never viable, it only gave me samples to work with."

Sitting down heavily, Joanna stared unseeing out the window.  "All my memories?  Everything I remember doing?  None of it really happened?"

"Only to the original O'Neill, although some of them were tailored to you and others were fabricated, of course."

"But why give her the memories if you just needed her for genetic material?" Daniel asked Loki.

"Occasionally I would wake Joanna and interact with her to ascertain how the original O'Neill would react to certain situations. It was a fascinating study on Taur'ri responses."

"But I don't remember meeting you.  Only Thor and other Asgard."

"On those instances I impersonated them."  

Thor frowned, not knowing of the deception, his expression obviously promising reprisal.  

"And the naquadah and nish'ta in her system?" Hammond asked.

"I was curious to see how the two elements reacted with the Human physiology.  The naquadah would prevent her body from being used if she was captured by the Goa'uld, and the nish'ta her mind." 

"Curious?" choked Sam.  "You used her like a guinea pig!"

"Guinea pig?  I am unfamiliar with this animal."       

"Whatever," Jack interrupted Loki.  "How did she get here?  I'm assuming you didn't send her?"

"The laboratory was attacked by Zipcana, and Joanna was brought out of stasis so that we could escape.  But I waited too late, and the complex was over-run by Jaffa.  Joanna and I were separated.  She must have made her way to the Stargate and come here.  We only recently figured out where."    

"Okay," Joanna interjected.  "So I wasn't at SGC.  What about the self-destruct?  I clearly remember Anubis' Jaffa overrunning the complex, my setting the bomb, and going through the Gate."

"As there was not much time, several safety measures in the program to bring you out of stasis were overridden.  Your mental processes were muddled from the rapid procedure; to compensate for what you did not understand you likely substituted that which you were familiar with.  Zipcana's bomb became the self-destruct one."

Rubbing her forehead, Joanna tried to absorb everything that Thor and Loki had just sprung on them.  "A clone.  I'm a dammed clone."  She threw an distressed glance over at Teal'c who came around the table to her.

"Are you alright, O'Neill?"  His voice was low, pitched under the strident tones of Jack arguing with Loki.

"Not much I can do about it."  She gave a shaky half shrug.  "What's done is done.  I just want to be sure he can't to it again."

"You are much more forgiving than Colonel O'Neill would be."

She sighed.  "I'm alive, aren't I?  And if what Loki did can help the Asgard …"  "I keep thinking of the robots Harland made of us.  They're like me, copies of an original, but while I have a chance to live a normal life, they're stuck in that god-forsaken plant trying to keep it going to keep them alive.  How can I be bitter?

"I just miss the closeness Sam, Danny, and I used to share.  I wonder if I'll ever get it back."  Joanna looked up at Teal'c, a shadow of vulnerability in her eyes.

"It merely takes time."        

"I hope so."

"This has taken long enough."  Thor interrupted Jack's rantings, which had begun to repeat themselves.  "We must be going."  He stood up, followed by Loki.  "I apologize for any trouble Loki has caused.  Again.  We will neutralize the clone, and put this behind us." 

"What?"  The humans in the room all spoke at once.

"You can't just destroy me!"   

Thor turned to Joanna.  "You were never meant to live."

"That doesn't mean you have to neutralize her now!"  Jack howled, getting to his feet and looking to Hammond for support.  "You kept my other clone alive, why not her?"

"Keeping the other clone alive was a favor to you, O'Neill," Thor calmly explained.

"And you don't think this is an even bigger violation of my rights?"  Jack's face got a hard cast to it.  "I'm getting really pissed off at you guys, swiping my DNA and making clones left and right, keeping me enslaved to perform even more twisted experiments on me!  You're going to let her go and destroy **all** the stuff left over from that lab!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, O'Neill."  Thor was stalwart against Jack's rage.

"I'm not going with you."  Getting up, Joanna put her chair between her and the Asgards, her knuckles while as she gripped the seat's back.  

Thor looked at her with pity.  "I must insist."

A cold hand of fear closed over Joanna's heart.  "No, I— "  But before she could finish, a blinding white light flashed through the room.

~~~~~

With a choked scream, Joanna bolted upright in bed, the sheets tangled around her waist.  Her breath came in great gasps, and she pushed damp tendrils of hair off her face, her eyes wide and unseeing in the dark of her room.

Shivering slightly she pulled the sheet and blanket around herself, trying to overcome the feeling of fear and panic the old nightmare brought back.  With a resigned sigh Joanna got out of bed and grabbed her flannel robe, making her barefoot way a few meters down the stark corridor to knock gently at a slate blue metal door.

She shifted minutely from foot to foot, and moments before she was about to return to her room, the door opened to show Teal'c, silhouetted by a constellation of candles behind him.

"Did you again experience the dream in which Thor takes you back, Joanna?"

Nodding silently, she gave him a rueful half grin.  "Silver-tongued Jack still couldn't convince them to let me stay."  She nodded toward his room.  "Do you mind?"

He bowed his head, smiling.  "Not at all."  Backing up, Teal'c held the door open for her, and Joanna walked in, finally noting the tapers burning.  

"Did I interrupt you?" she asked, slipping her robe off.

"I had only just begun."  With ease born of familiarity, he took the garment and laid it at the foot of the bed as she climbed under the comforter.  Teal'c settled the cover over her as Joanna burrowed into the pillow.

"G'night…"  A yawn slurred the words.  

"Good night, Joanna."  Beginning to drop into kelnorim, Teal'c watched as her breathing evened and she fell asleep.  "May the rest of your dreams be pleasant ones."

Fin


End file.
